Bassoon



A ril 7, 1964 H. E. FOX

BASSOON Filed April 13. 1961 United States Patent 3,127,806 BASSOON Hugo E. Fox, Rte. 1 S., Whitley, Ind. Filed Apr. 13, 1961, Ser. No. 102,781 1 Claim. (Cl. 84-380) This invention relates to a bassoon or like wood-wind instrument, and, more particularly, to one constructed of polypropylene, and to the method of fabrication thereof.

Based on experience, such wood-wind instruments should be constructed of materials characterized by hardness and rigidity, such as the hardened sugar maple, grenadilla wood, etc., now employed. I find, however, that the instruments can be advantageously constructed of polypropylene, which is essentially softer, elastic to the touch, and resilient. Importantly, this substitution can be made without loss of tonal quality, and, in fact, is further advantageous in that the pitch is more stable in the inventive instruments even under variations of climatic conditions, temperature, humidity, etc. Further, the tonal qualities are improved over the use of other plastics, having physical characteristics much closer to the wood used in bassoons.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a novel wood-wind instrument, i.e., a bassoon, constructed of polypropylene. Another object is to provide a novel method of constructing a wood-wind such as a bassoon. Other objects and advantages of the invention may be seen as this specification proceeds.

The invention is shown, in an illustrative embodiment, in the accompanying drawing, in which-- FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a bassoon body embodying my invention; and

FIG. 2 is a transverse cross sectional view such as would be seen along the sight line 22 of FIG. 1-.

In the illustration given, designates the boot of a bassoon and 11 the wing, to which a mouthpiece 11a is attached. The mouthpiece, as is well known, is a separate part including a reed, and is inserted into the top opening of the wing. The bass portion of the instrument is designated by 12, and the bell is designated by the numeral 13.

In the illustration given, the bell 13 is provided with an insert portion 14 received within a hollow recess in the bass 12. The bass 12 is provided with an insert portion 15 adapted to be receive within a recess in the boot 10, and the boot is also recessed to receive the insert or reduced end portion 16 of the wing 11. Thus, there are provided joints between the bell and the bass and joints bteween the bass and the boot, and the wing and the boot. At the bottom of the boot there is provided an elbow member 17 of well known construction, in which the passage formed through the bell 13, bass 12 and boot 10 are coupled with a passage through the other side of the boot and extending on to the wing 11. The passage extending through the wing 11 and downwardly through the boot 10 is indicated in FIG. 2 by the numeral 18, while the passage through the boot communicating with the passage in the bass 12 and bell 13 is indicated by the numeral 19. As above stated, the passages 18 and 19 are connected by the elbow 17 at the bottom of the boot. Since the elbow structure is well known, a further detailed description herein is believed unnecessary.

The body of the bassoon, as described above, comprising the boot, bass, bell and wing, is formed of polypropylene such as may be obtained from the Hercules Powder Company, Wilmington, Delaware. I have found that there is a similarity in the tonal quality produced on the inventive instrument with that characteristic of the prior art wooden instruments that does not attend the use of other plastic materials closer in physical characteristics to the prior art wood material of construction. In the past, the lower register wood-wind instruments, exemplified by the bassoon, have been constructed of hardened sugar maple wood, while those instruments of a somewhat higher register, the oboe, clarinet, English horn, etc., have been constructed of grenadilla Wood, which is also characterized by considerable hardness and rigidity. Attempts have been made to fabricate these instruments of plastics such as phenolics and butyrates (cellulose acetate butyrate), but despite the similarity in physical properties, these attempts have resulted in instruments of noticeable tone difference. In studied contrast to wood and the prior plastics, polypropylene is relatively elastic and resilient, as can be appreciated from a consideration of the following tabulation of physical values:

Table I ModulusoiElastlclty 1.s 1o 1.0 10 c.1cx1o The polypropylene may be advantageously formed into the desired contours by machining or injection molding. When the latter procedure is followed, it is desirable to employ an extended cooling period of about several hours while maintaining the molded part under pressure of the order used in the injection.

I find that the inventive instrument withstands changes in climate conditions better than the prior art wooden instruments. This can be appreciated from a consideration of the following table wherein a wooden bassoon and a polypropylene bassoon were first tested as to pitch and secondly tested after having been subjected to one week in an atmosphere of 60 F. dry bulb, 55 F. wet bulb (corresponding to a relative humidity of Table II Rene Duval Bassoon Polypropylene Bassoon Deviation from Vib./

true note Pitch Change (cents) Note 1st test (cents) 2d test (cents) 1st test (cents 2d test (cents) In the foregoing table, the pitch deviation is recorded in terms of cents, each cent being of the difference V elasticity of 0.16 10 and being essentially soft, elastic to the touch and resilient.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,195,992 Mausolf Apr. 2, 1940 2,730,003 Loney Jan. 10, 1956 2,833,175 LeBlanc May 6, 1958 OTHER REFERENCES P.T.M. Magazine Article, Molded Student Clarinet,

page 38, February 1960. 

